[mvvRAZ]

so it begins

Aeneid is wild… I need another already

 

[Kiats]

Loving the multiple Aeneid's impressions @Kiats , it's comforting to hear that the Aeneid is performing up to standard in lieu of my package arrival. I do have a question however - which i believe is on many of our minds: How does the Aeneid compare against the Iliad? Is it a good upgrade?

Sorry @Craftsman1511 . Been distracted today. We had our Board meeting, which is always frazzling. And then of course Apple Music Lossless arrived!

Hahah! It is early days yet. But absolutely. As i am typing this, I am listening lossless music from Apple out of my iPad Pro into the Shanling M30 and back into the Aeneid/Fitear EST. It is amazing cos there is such good headroom. I just realised it and was telling @Eric Chong. Kudos to the team! I know what inspired Eric and I will say that the team has exceeded my expectations of what they could do. The sparkle and lushness is so well balanced. I had a long hard day today. But at this moment, I am wrapped in this wonderful cocoon and having my heartstrings plucked by the music.

 

[bigbeans]

Excellent write up @Deezel177! Just pulled the trigger on an Iliad on classifieds, so now can can enjoy the qualities of both. Aeneid should be coming sometime next week.

 

[Kiats]

I just gave the Aeneid a very, very short listen, and I agree with what @Kiats is saying. It's definitely a warmer, more relaxed, more analog-sounding cable. If I pair it with a more balanced, less-coloured IEM like the A18s, the higher instruments get in frequency, the farther they are from you, almost. But, to me, what that creates is a very deep, very spherical-sounding stage, which, by the way, is one of the largest I've ever heard from a cable upgrade. The Aeneid makes the A18s sound out-of-head, which I never would've associated with that in-ear previously.

​

And, its imaging precision is absolutely outstanding as well. I often use Dave Weckl and Chris Coleman's drum duet on the former's cover of Higher Ground as my stereo separation test, and the Aeneid passes with flying colours. When Chris (panned left) was soloing, the right side of the stage would feel absolutely empty, then vice versa with Dave's parts (panned right). Instruments, though not traditionally separated by the clean lines the treble would typically provide, still come off separated because of how far apart they are from each other, again courtesy of that massive stage.

Comparing it briefly against the Iliad, the Aeneid is the warmer, more relaxed-sounding one of the two. It doesn't have the Iliad's upper-midrange zing, and its lower-treble is considerably smoother as well. But, at the same time, it's the stronger cable technically. Again, its imaging is noticeably more precise. It doesn't have that slight crossfeed effect I described on my Iliad review. On the aforementioned drum duet, with the Iliad, Chris's drums would bleed ever-so-slightly to the centre and right sides of the image, and Dave's would also leak a hair to the centre and the left sides of the image. But, that isn't the case with the Aeneid. And, the new flagship has the larger, better-separated stage as well.

​

For me, whether or not the Aeneid is an upgrade over the Iliad will ultimately depend on preference. If you prefer a brighter, more vibrant sound and you like that cohesive, flowing musicality that the crossfeed effect brings, then the Iliad would probably be the better fit. But, if you tend to want a more relaxed, uncoloured, blasé sort of sound with a bit less intimacy, a bit less attack and incredible, out-of-head imaging, then the Aeneid's the one.

Agree! It is an absolutely gorgeous sounding cable.

By the way, has anyone noticed how emotive the Aeneid is? i am listening to these modern Chinese songs which are written for all these period tv series based in ancient China and I am moved by the music, the lyrics and the vocals. Bliss…

Excellent write up @Deezel177! Just pulled the trigger on an Iliad on classifieds, so now can can enjoy the qualities of both. Aeneid should be coming sometime next week.

Yeah… I am happy to be greedy and have both in my cable rotation.

 

[Deezel177]

Excellent write up @Deezel177! Just pulled the trigger on an Iliad on classifieds, so now can can enjoy the qualities of both. Aeneid should be coming sometime next week.

Agree! It is an absolutely gorgeous sounding cable.

By the way, has anyone noticed how emotive the Aeneid is? i am listening to these modern Chinese songs which are written for all these period tv series based in ancient China and I am moved by the music, the lyrics and the vocals. Bliss…



Yeah… I am happy to be greedy and have both in my cable rotation.

'Appreciate it, guys! 'Hope you enjoy your cables too.

 

[hybridnut]

so it begins



Aeneid is wild… I need another already

Could you please help try matching Aeneid with A18s?

 

[Deezel177]

Could you please help try matching Aeneid with A18s?

The impressions I wrote of the Aeneid were with the A18s. I personally think it makes it a tad too laidback, especially in the upper-midrange, even though I loved what it did to the A18s's stage. I'd say it's most-ideally paired with an IEM that's on the airier, lighter side of neutral. The EE ODIN, the VE ELYSIUM and the JH Audio Jolene come to mind. But, if a cozy-er, more relaxed sound is what you want out of your A18s, then the pairing could definitely work for your tastes.

 

[aaf evo]

The impressions I wrote of the Aeneid were with the A18s. I personally think it makes it a tad too laidback, especially in the upper-midrange, even though I loved what it did to the A18s's stage. I'd say it's most-ideally paired with an IEM that's on the airier, lighter side of neutral. The EE ODIN, the VE ELYSIUM and the JH Audio Jolene come to mind. But, if a cozy-er, more relaxed sound is what you want out of your A18s, then the pairing could definitely work for your tastes.

If it makes A18s almost too laid back I imagine it won’t pair well with Traillii either. I plan to find out myself eventually though

 

[bluestorm1992]

If it makes A18s almost too laid back I imagine it won’t pair well with Traillii either. I plan to find out myself eventually though

Then how about your blue necklace?

 

[aaf evo]

Then how about your blue necklace?

My neck has plenty of room.

 

[Kiats]

Enjoying Apple Music lossless with Phatlab Chimera hybrid amp/DAC and of course the magic of the Aeneid and FitEar EST.

 

[Craftsman1511]

Living vicariously through all your reviews and photos now. I'm getting super impatient for the shipping now but i know the wait will be worth it! I hope mine arrives sooner!

Thanks @Kiats and @Deezel177 for the comparison and impressions, looks like i'll be happy keeping both the Aeneid and Iliad.

If anyone have impressions of the Aeneid pair up synergy with the Trailli, let me know! Im super keen to know more on that pairing synergy.

 

[mvvRAZ]

Initial Impressions post for the new king, the Aeneid

I received the Aeneid yesterday, and it was actually a pretty good time to do so, since I had my second jab and had the day off because of the sugar crash lul - there's a chance that the Aeneid makes no difference to the sound at all, and instead I'm describing my newly acquired superhuman hearing from the chip they put in my arm

I've stated this countless times before, but cables to me are first and foremost an accessory of sorts - I do hear some rather audible differences between them, but several hundred or thousand USD worth of sound improvements... absolutely not (hence my very strong dislike for cables like the 1950s/1960s)

My love for Eletech is easily explained in that respect. No company pays this much attention to a complete product experience, cable design and esthetics. Every component serves a purpose towards a hollistic design language, and every product feels like a self-standing art piece.

The Aeneid, within Eletech's lineup, is to me a co-TOTL to the Iliad. It offers a more mature and refined sound experience, with a comparably jaw-dropping build quality and design. The split is similarly elaborate, and I dare say it even takes it a touch further - split and pins are identical - I quite like that ET have re-colored them however to match the aesthetics of the cable.

The wire itself is very similar, in both how soft and supple it is, and in how mesmerizing it is to look at. I've owned the Iliad for over an year now, and while it isn't as soft as it was on day one, I do not have any issues with the ergonomics, microphonics or excessive stiffness of any kind.

On sound, the best way I can describe the Aeneid is a mix of the Plato and the Iliad, where it has taken the best of both worlds - of the two, I'd say it leans heavily on the presentation of the Plato, with just the right amount of color and texture borrowed from Eletech's previous flagship.

The first thing that struck me when I went from the Iliad to the Aeneid on the Unique Melody FuSang is the outrageous level of separation - naturally my brain immediately went to the Plato since that is its one most defining characteristic, but the Aeneid goes above and beyond in that respect, further boosting it through a heavy improvement in the dynamics, detail retrieval and a hint of upper treble for more resolution and airiness.

Where the Aeneid reminded me of the Iliad is in how holographic the staging becomes, with excellent width and depth, while also introducing a little coloration - the Aeneid makes the FuSang a little smoother and more organic, mostly as a result of the added texture. It might be a small boost to the lower mids, since male vocals sound especially good on it, while female vocals remain mostly clean and unaffected as they are on the Mason.

Verdict?

The Aeneid manages to maintain that best-industry-has-to-offer build quality and design, with a level of sound quality and refinement that are worthy of the TOTL status.

This is the first time I've dropped >2000$ on a cable, and for me it has set a new standard as to what >2000$ for a cable means in terms of product quality.

 

[hybridnut]

The impressions I wrote of the Aeneid were with the A18s. I personally think it makes it a tad too laidback, especially in the upper-midrange, even though I loved what it did to the A18s's stage. I'd say it's most-ideally paired with an IEM that's on the airier, lighter side of neutral. The EE ODIN, the VE ELYSIUM and the JH Audio Jolene come to mind. But, if a cozy-er, more relaxed sound is what you want out of your A18s, then the pairing could definitely work for your tastes.

So, is the iliad better pairing with A18s then Aeneid?

 

[Deezel177]

So, is the iliad better pairing with A18s then Aeneid?

Personally, for me, yes, I'd say so.